Europe's addiction capital - the UK.

[Workingman]

Apparently when all the figures are totted up the UK comes out overall top for drugs and alcohol abuse according to figures collated by the rather sinister sounding Centre for Social Justice - and IDS think tank.

The answer? Ban, ban and ban some more; the war on drugs must be won.

There was a time when I thought that, too, but I am slowly changing my mind. The heady days of hash and weed and LSD and peace and love are long gone. Nowadays there are recreational drugs known as legal highs. The problem is that new ones come to the streets as others get banned. An outcome of banning one legal high is that its replacement is often more dangerous even than prohibited class A drugs.

There is plenty of evidence from history that we are not going to stop people wanting to get high, so what do we do? Prohibition hasn't worked, it has just sent the market into criminal hands. Legalisation, a free-for-all, is not acceptable, either politically or socially, which probably leaves regulation. How it would work is anyone's guess, but it looks as though we have to change direction rather than letting the criminal underworld control things.

[Kaz]

It just goes to show how poor the quality of life can be here, compared to some other European countries - which is why people self-medicate with booze and drugs We also work the longest hours in Europe, I think, or close to it! I think there might well be a connection.......................

[saundra]

we used to be GREAT BRITAIN
once think that says it all

[Workingman]

You are both certainly right. For some sections in society numbing the pain with drink or drugs is seen as their only option. Desperation and depression can do awful things to a person.

Then there are the thrill seekers who just want to get high for no particular reason.

The whole thing is a difficult problem, or set of problems, to deal with, but banning and prohibition always seem to fail.

[KateLMead]

Drug taking is and has been and is seemingly the in thing...It was interesting listening to the radio, an ex army fellow was talking of the drug taking in Afghanistan soldiers and officers alike! we receive more of the drugs from there than any other European country, these drugs that are poisoning our society turning youngsters into zombies come from those poppy fields that B'liar decided to create war for. "To supposedly get rid of the Taliban, create a democracy (another laugh a minute) and educate the farmers in other means of making money"! we learn of children smoking pot as young as ten, this country is being systematically destroyed.

[Aggers]

The answer is simple...

Educate. educate, educate for starters.

Then, announce that, at a specified future date, medical services will not be available for anyone
who is ill as a result of taking banned drugs. If they choose to die early, well, it's up to them.

Heartless? No, its just using the principle of the survival of the fittest.
Those who take drugs after being clearly told of the dangers must accept the consequences.

[cromwell]

The answer is simple...

Educate. educate, educate for starters.

Then, announce that, at a specified future date, medical services will not be available for anyone
who is ill as a result of taking banned drugs. If they choose to die early, well, it's up to them.

Heartless? No, its just using the principle of the survival of the fittest.
Those who take drugs after being clearly told of the dangers must accept the consequences.

Quite so Aggers, but we live in a country where the government either cannot or will not keep its nose out.
The idea of people making their own mind up? They won't have that.
I agree absolutely with what you say, but I doubt that it will happen.

[Suff]

I lived with the reality that Edinburgh was the drugs capital of Europe and Glenrothes was the worst drugs pit outside of Edinburgh, that this does not even raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Just a point. In Glenrothes, in the 80's, we had >50% unemployment. This continued for more than a decade. I can understand the whole "Why bother" mindset. I saw it first hand. It was never my viewpoint but I could understand some of them who had it.

Drink, Drugs, so what? Life will never change.

It's the hedonist drugs users who have careers and "choose" to drink and drug to excess which annoys me. Within one month of the Scottish parliament opening, the newspapers had found traces of Cocaine and every bathroom surface in the place.

[Workingman]

One big problem we have is that "controlled" drugs are now largely under the control of criminal drug barons. For them any market will do - the customer's age is irrelevant. That is why the supply side needs sorting out.

Move alcohol out of supermarkets and corner shops and back into off licences with limited opening hours. Put controlled drugs into pharmacies where registered users can obtain them. Register sellers of legal highs and keep tabs on what they are selling, it is not hard, we do it with cigarettes and fireworks.

Once all that has been done we come down hard, really hard, as Aggers says, on any street sellers and buyers - they are both now breaking the law.

[Suff]

People often think that the Netherlands is this "drugs capital" of Europe. Yes they legalised cannabis and made it easy to procure.

However, drive whilst drugged, try and use or sell hard drugs and the weight of the law will come crashing down on you.

Something we should emulate for all drugs.